One year later - BP Oilspill

84 bills were introduced in Congress related to the BP oilspill. Two passed the house. None passed the Senate. None

from PewEnvironment.org/OffshoreEnergyReform

Total barrels of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico by the Deepwater Horizon blowout: 4,900,000

Equivalent of that in Exxon Valdez oil spills: 19

Barrels of oil per day BP claimed in its 2009 emergency response plan it could
skim and store in response to a spill in the Gulf: 491,721

Average barrels per day BP actually captured, burned and chemically “dispersed”: 19,251

Gallons of chemical dispersant dumped into the Gulf to try to break down the oil: 1,843,786

Projected three-year loss of tourism revenue for Gulf Coast communities as a result of the spill: $22,700,000,000

Number of active offshore oil platforms in the Gulf: 3,395

Number of them in deepwater (more than 1,000 feet): 64

Underwater depth of the Deepwater Horizon well, in feet: 4,994

Number of Gulf oil platforms in water deeper than that: 11


Underwater depth of the deepest of those, in feet: 8,062
Number of U.S. offshore oil well “incidents” (including fatalities, injuries, fires, and spills)

reported by federal regulators from 2006 through 2009: 3,282

Number of those that included “a loss of well control”: 23

Ratio of government inspectors to oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico: 1 to 54

Percentage of those inspectors who believe they did not receive adequate training: 50

Percent of increase in U.S. offshore oil and gas leasing since 1982: 200

Percent of decrease in staffing resources for federal offshore regulation since 1983: 36

Number of bills introduced in Congress since the Deepwater Horizon blowout that
would reform offshore drilling and/or improve spill response: 84

Number of those bills that have passed the House: 2

Number that have passed the Senate: 0

Figures are the most recently available as of October 26, 2010. Sources at this link